Win! A Philips Wake-up Light

On the 8th day of Christmas, Domestic Sluttery gave to me... an awesome Wake-up Light from Philips!

Remember I told you about Philips taking me to the Arctic Circle to play with their Wake-up lights? Well they're feeling super generous as it's Christmas and they've asked us to give one of you a wake-up light! Hurrah! This light is slowly changing my sleep pattern with it's slow release morning light and tweety bird noises. It's not making me get out of bed (it's not my mother, it doesn't shout at me and steal my duvet), but it makes me perky. Sprightly, even. Some might say annoying.

Put simply, it's awesome.

And we've got one to give away! Hurrah! What do you have to do to win? Just tell us the first thing you do on Christmas morning. Are you all about the presents? Hangover cuppa? Or are you usually the one stuck in bed with a cold? Tell us in the comments before 8pm on Sunday to enter (we're having a party tonight, we're not going to be in any state to draw competition winners!) We're all about sharing the love today, so you'll get an extra entry for retweeting on Twitter. (Just once please, no one likes a spammer.)

We'll pick a winner at random and announce who won after the weekend and that lucky person will have awesome sleeps for Christmas. Good luck everyone!

The small print (yawn): The competition will close at 8pm December 10th. You must be UK based, sorry overseas readers! You must also leave a name as well to make sure we know who you are! If you're anon, your entry won't count and if you enter more than once, we'll discount all of your entries (yes, we do check). We're not allowed to enter our own competitions, but Siany makes tea and has to wait very patiently for her parents to wake up before she can open any presents. It's very unfair. We wish we could enter our competitions. Humph.

Give a monkey: Lisa Jones studio mugs

If I want to guarantee myself a cheering cup of tea on a morning, I'm going to have to make space on my kitchen shelf for the new range of mugs from Lisa Jones studio. Definitely armed with a touch of animal magnetism, each mug features a childlike illustration of a different creature. Bright and fun, they're priced at £13 so you can afford to give a monkey this Christmas. You'll just need to try and decide on a favourite (hint: owl fans should stay, hold on tight...).

Monkey business aside, how about this foxy fox?

Or this little creature? As Leslie Nielsen might have said, nice beaver.

And, finally, for all the die-hard owl fans out there, here's one of our feathered friends. Like? Take a look at their website for plenty more owly goodness.

My preference? Definitely the fantastic Mr Fox but I'll happily take any one of them, especially if they're filled with a nice milky cup of tea. Guaranteed animal magic!

The winner of the Naked Wine!

It's official: You guys are great big drunken lushes. This has been one of our most popular competitions. You all want the Naked Wines. Only one of you can win though, and despite hardly any of you offering to share the wine with us (seriously, what's that about?) we picked a winner at random.

*Drum Roll Please*

Christina! Hurrah! Christina would apparently not share her wine with her other half, instead choosing her best mate who can 'guzzle it like the best of them'. We heartily approve.

Christina, just email us and tell us where to send your wine. The rest of you, hop over to Naked Wines and try their selection. And don't forget to enter today's competition. Thanks for playing everyone!

Etsy Pick: Jimbob Art

How can anyone resist this hungry bear? I certainly can't. Look at that face! I want to give him my sandwich! This bear lives on a side-plate, and has been drawn by James Ward of Jimbob Art, whose range of printed dishes are ridiculously adorable. His gorgeous hand-drawn animal characters are both funny and sweet, while also beautifully artistic.


Side plate characters include the Hungry Bear, the Sandwich Destroyer mouse, and the Badger who eats cake in his pants, all $37.50 (£24), it's impossible not to smile when you see them.
Of course, while I would love to have a whole dinner set, it might be simpler to start with a solo piece, like this fantastic sleeping cat serving plate, $85 (£54).


Incredibly, each single plate has been drawn individually and then glazed... there is no mass-production here, so each one is slightly different, and lovingly made. I really like that. Jimbob says "One of the main contexts of my recent work is the idea that big scary animals can express themselves and still like to eat cakes off plates!" Which is true, if you think about it.

Guest post by Claire Nelson.

Seriously, when are you going to grow up?

I adore this necklace from Lazy Oaf. It's the perfect stocking filler (for a very cool, very fancy stocking). It's £30 and just cheeky enough to make a statement, but not so offensive that you can't wear it to work. It's a childish font, which makes it just that little bit ironic. We've been longtime fans of Lazy Oaf, but it was this post by Fur Coat, no Knickers that alerted me to the prettiness that is this piece of cheeky bling.

So seriously, when are you going to grow up?

Cocktail Hour: Courvoisier Spiced Apple Warmer

One of the things I love most about winter is the ample opportunity to eat too many mince pies and drink too much mulled wine.

If I could get away with it, I'd joyfully renounce all other forms of food and drink from November until it starts getting warmer around mid-March.

But if you're bored of mulled wine but still want the warming, comforting effects of a hot, boozy beverage, then why not try this Spiced Apple Warmer, made with Courvoisier Exclusif?

A cognac blend created specifically for cocktails and punches, it's been matured in toasted oak, with flavours including vanilla, coffee, ginger cookies and prunes.

You'll need:
(Makes one litre)

• 275ml Couvoisier Exclusif
• 75ml maple syrup
• 565ml apple juice
• 100ml lemon juice
• 5 tablespoons of cinnamon (plus extra for sprinkling on afterwards)
• Lemon slices (for adding as garnish at the end)

Make it!

Once you've assembled all your ingredients, this is an easy one. Combine them all in a saucepan, heat until it's piping hot, leave to cool for five minutes so you don't singe your tongue, then decant into glasses (like the ones we're giving away!) or a punch bowl. Serve with a slice of lemon and a sprinkle of cinnamon.

Win! Two Cognac Glasses from Bodie & Fou

On the 7th day of Christmas, Domestic Sluttery gave to me a pair of Cognac glasses from Bodie & Fou!

I don't drink Cognac very often, but I've recently started getting into it and I need some nice glasses to sip from whilst I'm snuggling under a blanket. It's too cold for going out. Might even pop on a Christmassy film and share, if you ask nicely.

Of course, I'm not allowed to enter our competitions. So I can't win these amazing Cognac glasses from Bodie & Fou (that would be big fat cheating) but you can! You'll get a pair, and they're actually perfect for the favourite boy in your life as well. We can't have only girly presents this year, apparently we have to share with boys.

What do you have to do to win? Leave us a comment below telling us what your favourite Christmas song is! Are you Dreaming of a White Christmas? Rocking around the Christmas tree? All about Frosty the Snowman? Tell us in the comments before 8pm tonight and we'll pick a winner at random tomorrow!

Good luck everyone!

The small print (yawn): The competition will close at 8pm December 9th. You must be UK based. Prize is for two Cognac glasses and delivery is arranged by Bodie & Fou. You must also leave a name as well to make sure we know who you are! If you're anon, your entry won't count and if you enter more than once, we'll discount all of your entries (yes, we do check). We're not allowed to enter our own competitions, but Siany is a big fan of Mariah's All I Want For Christmas. It's the harmonies. We wish we could enter our competitions. Humph.